Andy Fale – CRT’s Dorset Wildlife Monitoring Officer, had a wonderful surprise when he opened the Bere Marsh Farm moth trap on Thursday morning.

The Jersey tiger (Euplagia quadripunctaria) is perhaps one of the most striking of the 2,500 moth species found in the UK. Both a resident and migratory species from continental Europe, until relatively recently their range in the UK was restricted to the Channel Islands and parts of the south coast including Dorset, Devon and the Isle of Wight.

Jersey tiger caterpillars feed on a wide variety of herbaceous plants including Common Nettle (Urtica dioica), Hemp-argimony (Eupatorium cannabinum), White Dead-nettle (Lamium album), Borage (Borago officinalis), plantains (Plantago Spp.), Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea) and Bramble (Rubus fruiticosus).

All moths caught and released are for scientific and education purposes to help provide baselines from which to evaluate net gains in biodiversity on CRT properties.

 By Nick Dobbs, CRT Friendship Development Manager